Childhood Domestic Violence

Childhood Domestic Violence is a term used by University of Bristol professor Gill Hague in her book Understanding Adult Survivors of Domestic Violence in Childhood. The subject of childhood domestic violence was most notably introduced in 1994 by British researchers Rebecca Morley and Audrey Mullender of Oxford University in Children Living with Domestic Violence, a study that continues to serve as an authoritative reference for experts in fields related to family violence.
Statistics indicate that domestic violence affects more than 15 million children a year in the U.S. alone. UNICEF estimated in 2006 that 275 million children around the world have been exposed to violence in the home. This number has increased considerably since then, although in some countries, including North Africa and Southeastern Asia, no records or data exist at all.
Overview
The United States Department of Justice states that domestic violence is “… a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.”
According to the Urban Child Institute, the trauma associated with witnessing one parent repeatedly assaulting another carries a profound and lifelong impact for children in terms of physical health, emotional health, behavior, and relationships.
Growing up in a home where domestic violence takes place and witnessing such violence regularly can have significant and negative far-reaching effects. Every child who grows up in a home where domestic violence occurs learns to believe that feeling emotion signals a threat to their existence.
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center reported that many parents who currently engage in domestic violence believe their children are unaware it is happening. But by asking the children, it was determined that 80-90% of them actually do know what is going on and can provide detailed accounts of the violence they have witnessed.
Impact
Impact on a child’s development
Cell biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton states that “If there is not enough loving support and assurances that the world is safe for a child, then he will take a protection posture, which, by definition, is shutting himself down. It is the most unhealthy biology for a human... stress hormones actually shut down the growth mechanisms and the immune system in a child."
Short-term effects
There are many short-term effects of witnessing violence at home in childhood, which can manifest on emotional, physical, , and levels, although outcomes often differ by age and developmental stage.
Young children respond with physical symptoms most often, and retreat into silence: "Some of the short-term effects children can experience include incessant headaches or stomach-aches, bed-wetting, sadness, sleeplessness, nightmares, phobias, difficulty concentrating, irritability, anger, increased aggression, social isolation, poor academic performance, anxiety and regressive behaviors such as baby-talk, wanting bottles or dummies, and being clingy and whiney."
Generally, the age of the child has an influence on the way in which the domestic violence impacts the welfare and development of the child. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network outlines possible reactions/symptoms according to the age of the child as follows:
* Age Birth to 5—A child that experiences domestic violence within this age may exhibit sleep disruptions, eating disruptions, withdrawal/lack of responsiveness, Intense/pronounced separation anxiety, inconsolable crying, developmental regression, loss of acquired skills, intense anxiety, worries, increased aggression and impulsive behavior.
* Age 6 to 11—A child that experiences domestic violence within this age is likely to experience nightmares, sleep disruptions, aggression and difficulty with peer relationships in school, difficulty with concentration and task completion in school, withdrawal and/or emotional numbing, school avoidance and/or truancy.
* Age 12 to 18—A child that experiences domestic violence within this age is likely to showcase antisocial behavior, school failure, impulsive and/or reckless behavior (e.g., school truancy, substance abuse, running away, involvement in violent or abusive dating relationships, depression, anxiety, and withdrawal).
Children may also resort to self-injury like cutting, because it gives them a feeling of control over their own sensations.
Long-term effects
Some of the long-term effects include physical health problems (e.g., chronic inflammation that can trigger diseases such as stroke, heart disease, and cancer later in life), behavioral problems (e.g., alcohol and substance abuse, aggressive acts—use of violence to relieve stress or exert control in situations or relationships), and emotional difficulties (e.g., depression, anxiety disorders, low self-esteem and inability to build and maintain healthy relationships in adulthood.
Impact on physical health
Research has documented the extent to which toxic stress in early childhood—particularly exposure to household dysfunction—is associated with physical health problems that last into adulthood. This is because early childhood stress alters the immune functions of the body and increases inflammatory markers that drive poor health outcomes. This can lead to a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease, viral hepatitis, liver cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, autoimmune disease, and poor dental health in those impacted. There is also a heightened risk for chronic lung disease and skeletal fractures. The impact of adverse childhood experiences on adult health is “strong and cumulative.”
Impact on emotional well-being
The greatest amount of research and data on the impact of domestic violence on children has been in the area of emotional well-being. According to Jeffrey L. Edleson, PhD, in the National Online Resources Center for Violence Against Women, such children appear to be less capable of understanding and empathizing with how others feel, or how to see a situation from another’s point of view. Becky’s Fund.org reports that such children may express greater anxiety, and experience low self-esteem, depression, and anger issues.
These children are also often burdened by a sense of loss or profound guilt because they mistakenly believe they should have been able to stop the violence or that it was somehow their fault: “Many children feel guilty and responsible for the abuse that it is happening. They may feel responsible for protecting their siblings, their mother and pets.” Children who have experienced domestic abuse also describe feelings of extreme sadness and depression. According to the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children, they sometimes even wish they could take the place of the family member who was hurt, “even if that means being horribly injured or killed themselves.” Many of these children also live in constant terror that if the violence escalates, they may lose the abused parent to the violence, or if anyone finds out, they may lose the abusive parent, who may be taken away and incarcerated.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD observes that such children and adolescents are also suffering from a form of PTSD because of the domestic violence they witness. Measuring the toll this takes on the child is essential for any kind of healing to occur.
Children who witness domestic violence have a broad range of emotional problems. They “bring a deep sense of uncertainty and fear, as well as grief, anger, and shame into all of their important relationships for the rest of their lives, if not helped to heal and recover.”
Impact on relationships
Relationships for children of domestic violence often follow distinct patterns. When the child grows up, he or she may adopt the same violent behavior as the violent parent. A different path can be one in which the child grows up to become the victim of domestic violence, choosing a partner who helps them live out the pattern they absorbed watching their parent being assaulted. The best predictor of becoming a victim or perpetrator of domestic violence as an adult is whether or not a person grew up living with domestic violence in their childhood home. Another child may grow up without resorting to being violent or victimized, but always hesitant to enjoy relationships or time spent with people.
Impact on behavior
Children who grow up in a violent home are not able to make judgments about behavior with confidence; because they often believe that they are to blame, they experience a lack of self-worth. They often have trouble setting boundaries about what is right and wrong. Such children are likely candidates for substance abuse as an escape from the memories they have lived with since childhood. These individuals are also more likely to engage in other harmful behaviors such as eating disorders or suicide attempts. They are 6 times more likely to commit suicide, 50 times more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, and 74 times more likely to commit a violent crime. In addition, high-risk sexual practices, including unprotected sex, more sexual partners, and having consensual sex at an earlier age, are also more common.
Remedial assistance for children who experience childhood domestic violence
Getting help for children who witness domestic violence is beginning to receive some national attention, but interfering in what is going on in a family is not always viewed as socially acceptable. People hesitate to protect the child because they fear the parent’s wrath, as well. Social norms often dictate that what parents do is their business and no one else’s, which can leave children at risk.
Solutions
Creation of awareness
Overall awareness of childhood domestic violence and providing avenues for open discussion are effective ways to address its impact.
Children benefit by experiencing a supportive adult presence. According to the journal Pediatrics: “Central to the notion of positive stress is the availability of a caring and responsive adult who helps the child cope with the stressor, thereby providing a protective effect that facilitates the return of the stress response systems back to baseline.”
Those who have found a way to move past the experience of witnessing childhood domestic violence are role models for others. High-profile individuals, like celebrities and athletes who experienced it as children, are in a strong position to turn the spotlight on the problem, because they can garner a vast audience for the issues. Some well-known figures who have experienced childhood domestic violence include President Bill Clinton, Halle Berry, Christina Aguilera, Curtis Martin, and Patrick Stewart.
A more holistic approach
Comprehensive and holistic support services often provide children with supportive places to go.
Making parents part of the equation has also been effective: “providing interventions to abused mothers can also have benefits to children, especially when these efforts take into account the specific needs of children.” Providing services and counseling to parents who are victims of domestic violence to help them protect and care for children can have a positive impact, even after the violence has stopped.
These children and parents can benefit from relationships-based interventions that allow them to talk about the violence they endured with one another: “An essential component of intervention with all children is the priority of supporting and strengthening the relationship between the nonoffending parent and the child… a key factor in helping a child heal from the effects of domestic violence.” With help and resources, “parents can fare much better in providing the emotional security their children need and supporting their healthy development after living with domestic violence at home.”
A number of different organizations nationally and locally are working to build awareness and develop resources to address the impact of domestic violence on children specifically. Some of these include: Futures Without Violence, Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation, No More, the Childhood Domestic Violence Association, and the National Child Trauma Stress Network.

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